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Local attorney, alum to speak at GED ceremony

Hinds Community College alumnus and local attorney Jonathan Bullock of Madison is the speaker for the GED achiever ceremony on June 6.

All 2012-2013 GED achievers in Hinds Community College’s district of Hinds, Rankin, Warren, Copiah and Claiborne counties are invited to participate in the ceremony at 6 p.m. at Cain-Cochran Hall on the Raymond Campus.

Bullock received a General Education Development (GED) high school equivalency certificate in 1991.

His college work began at Hinds Community College. He enrolled at Mississippi State University in 1995, where he received his B.A. in Political Science in 1998. He has also attended Mississippi College School of Law and The University of Tulsa College of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate in 2003.

Bullock is an attorney with Shell Buford, PLLC in Flowood. His areas of practice include all forms of civil litigation defense, including professional liability, products liability and medical malpractice defense, general liability, fidelity and surety litigation, personal injury litigation, commercial litigation, workers’ compensation defenses and construction litigation.

He served eight years with the United States Naval Reserves and was honorably discharged from service in 2001. Bullock is currently a captain in the Mississippi Army National Guard where he serves as a JAG officer. He is currently assigned to 2nd Battalion/20th Special Forces Group in Jackson and served one tour of duty in Afghanistan where he earned a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service.

Among his many commitments to community service he has served as an advisory council member for the Rankin County Adult Education Council and was a member of the Mississippi Department of Education’s Drop-Out Prevention Task Force Committee. Bullock has given numerous speeches on drop-out prevention and has given several speeches to GED recipients at commencement exercises all across the state.

Adults who have gotten their General Education Development high school equivalency certificate in the past year can participate in the ceremony, even if they received instruction through another program. The deadline to sign up to participate in the ceremony is May 23. There is no charge for participation.

For more information, contact Marshand Crisler at 601.857.3913 or see the website at http://www.hindscc.edu/Departments/abe_ged/graduation.aspx

Participants in the Hinds GED graduation receive a certificate commemorating their high school equivalency achievement and will wear a cap and gown for the ceremony, at no charge. They are encouraged to bring family and friends.

Each year Hinds Community College serves nearly 2,000 high school dropouts in its Adult Basic Education instructional and GED testing programs. The majority of these students are preparing to take the GED tests. Hinds, with the assistance of a Dollar General Literacy Foundation, waives the GED testing fee for students enrolled in the Hinds ABE program.

Those who pass the test are awarded a certificate equivalent to a high school diploma that allows them to continue their education at Hinds Community College and other higher education institutions.

“The GED has become a very popular education credential in today’s job market,” said Marshand Crisler, District Director of Adult Education and Dropout Recovery. “This ceremony provides an excellent opportunity for GED recipients to commemorate a huge accomplishment. The test is extremely challenging and according to the most recent data, only 60 percent of graduating high school seniors would past the GED on the first attempt.”

Hinds offers the first college class free to GED achievers who are first-time college students and awards a half-tuition scholarship to high-scoring GED recipients.